The BreakLine Arena

Join us in the BreakLine Arena as we celebrate our 2021 Summit with Silicon Valley pioneer and trailblazer, Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube.In this conversation Susan provides invaluable insight from her journey joining what at the time was a little known start-up named Google (she was Employee #16), to ultimately leading the company's acquisition of YouTube, a move that is widely regarded as one of the most successful acquisitions of all-time.Susan has served as Chief Executive Officer of YouTube, a digital video platform and subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (previously Google Inc.), since February 2014. She joined Google as its marketing manager in 1999, and after serving in various positions in marketing, from April 2011 to January 2014, Susan served as Google’s Senior Vice President of Advertising & Commerce. Prior to joining Google, she worked at Intel and served as a management consultant at both Bain & Company and R.B. Webber & Company. Susan received an A.B. in History and Literature from Harvard University, an M.S. in Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.You can also view the entirety of this conversation on YouTube with the link below:2021 BreakLine Summit with Susan Wojcicki (YouTube Link)

As we conclude this year’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, BreakLine Education would like to honor all of our Hispanic & Latinx alumni and partners.We also invite our entire community to join us in celebration by listening to a phenomenal conversation led by our very own Director of Admissions, Sergio A. Padilla. Sergio sat down with two of our amazing alumni, Muriel Payan and Eric Gonzalez, to learn more about their origin stories and what it means to be a Latinx professional in the tech industry.If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we dive into a fascinating conversation with Alation CEO and co-founder, Satyen Sangani.In this episode, Satyen provides deeper insight into his entrepreneurial journey while also sharing the wisdom which has guided some of the most significant decisions in his life.In founding Alation, Satyen aspired to help people dispassionately observe the world around them, empowering them to passionately work to improve it. Before Alation, Satyen spent nearly a decade at Oracle, where he ran the Financial Services Warehousing and Performance Management business. Prior to Oracle, Satyen was an associate with the private investment firm, Texas Pacific Group and an analyst with Morgan Stanley & Co. He holds a Master's in economics from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor's from Columbia University.Satyen will also host an upcoming podcast, Data Radicals - be sure to check it out on your favorite podcast streaming platform.If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we dive into a fascinating and empowering conversation with Carrie Siu Butt, CEO of SimpleHealth.Carrie leads SimpleHealth with a patient and people mindset. SimpleHealth is focused on providing Access and Expert Care to allow people to realize their potential through a healthy reproductive system. Carrie has spent her career in strategy and finance in some of the world's most exciting brands. As a Black and Chinese disabled woman, she is intimately aware of the perils of our healthcare system, and is dedicated to improving healthcare access in America.If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we share tech industry insights, hear from industry titans, and celebrate the stories of our amazing alumni community. In this episode we have the opportunity to hear from BreakLine alum, Addison Bohannon.A lifelong learner, Addison is no stranger to stretching himself in order to accomplish difficult tasks.Originally from a small city in Wisconsin, the seeds of Addison’s insatiable curiosity were originally planted during childhood trips to the Saint Louis Science Center with his loving grandfather. Fascinated by the rotating science exhibits, Addison dreamt of one day becoming a paleontologist or astronomer before a conversation with his eighth grade English teacher led him to consider attending one of our nation’s Service Academies. Addison graduated in the top 5% of his class at the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in Mathematical Sciences and Physics before commissioning as an Infantry Officer. He then completed the rigorous United States Army Ranger School prior to deploying and leading an Airborne Infantry platoon in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Upon completion of his military service, Addison’s curiosity and desire to solve complex problems led him to the U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, where he ultimately managed a multi-disciplinary team of 20+ scientists and engineers. In his role as Branch Chief, Addison oversaw research projects in computer vision, natural language processing, machine learning, and multi-user AR/VR.Keeping in theme with tackling tough tasks, Addison subsequently decided to pursue a Masters and Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, Statistics, and Scientific Computation from the University of Maryland. When asked about this period of his life, Addison shared, “Completing the Ph.D. program forced me to apply myself seriously, and with as much vigor and energy as I could at risk of failure.” Spoiler alert: Addison did not fail.Dr. Bohannon now serves as a Senior Data Scientist at Gusto, where he leverages that same vigor and energy towards helping the rapidly growing company apply machine learning to their most difficult business challenges and opportunities. Addison was first introduced to Gusto during his BreakLine Education programming and was supported throughout his career transition by amazing champions like John Kempe, Dominic Gonzalez-Padron, and fellow BreakLine alum Ryan Kappedal. If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.

Join us for an engaging conversation with Sami Inkinen, CEO and Co-Founder of Virta Health. Hear about his Finnish upbringing and work ethic, the motivation behind Virta Health's innovative approach to diabetes care, and his rowing adventure from California to Hawaii. Discover the significance of small improvements, the impact of COVID-19 on the company, and the correlation between exercise and success.

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we share tech industry insights, hear from industry titans and celebrate the stories of our amazing alumni community. In this episode we have the opportunity to hear from BreakLine alum, Maya Dhir.For Maya, life’s unexpected twists and turns ultimately inspired her to reclaim her power.Born of Indian descent, Maya was raised an expatriate in Kuwait after her family relocated in search of economic opportunity. Although the societal narratives of the time placed strict limitations on many young women, Maya, with the blessing of her parents, left home to study engineering in Australia at the age of 15.Armed with a deep sense of empowerment and the courage to step into the unknown, Maya vigorously pursued her dreams. She earned a Masters of Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and pursued a Doctorate in Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, before ultimately landing a role as a trader on Wall Street.After getting married and starting a family, Maya’s life suddenly took an unexpected turn when her husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She found herself in a new city with no friends, no family, two children under the age of two, and a husband in desperate need of her care. Her career would have to ultimately be placed on hold for several years.When asked about this chapter of life, Maya articulated the struggle so many of us find between unconditionally supporting our family and pursuing our individual sense of purpose through our careers.In spite of unforeseen challenges and the uncertainty of time, Maya’s family persevered and she reclaimed her power. Her husband returned to health, both of her sons attended top academic institutions, and she ultimately achieved a lifelong dream of attending the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.When the time came to embark upon her the next exciting chapter of her career, Maya knew she wanted to find a company with a compelling mission and vision. She was introduced to Blend during her BreakLine Education programming, and with the support of champions like Jasmine Essalat recently began her new role on the Business Development and Partnerships team!If you are inspired by what you've heard, please like, subscribe, or review our show. To learn more about BreakLine Education, check us out at breakline.org.

Join us in The BreakLine Arena for an inspiring conversation with Kara Nortman, Managing Partner at Upfront Ventures. In this episode, Kara shares invaluable insight into her trailblazing career as a venture capitalist as well as how an incredible experience at the Women's World Cup Finals eventually let to her becoming a co-founder of Angel City Football Club.As Managing Partner at Upfront Ventures, Kara leverages her own founder experience to help entrepreneurs build high-performing teams across software, consumer, and the future of work categories. She is also a founding member of All Raise, dedicated to diversity in founders and funders.Before joining Upfront in 2014, Kara co-founded Moonfrye, a children’s e-commerce company. Prior to Moonfrye, Kara spent close to seven years at IAC where she was the SVP and General Manager of Urbanspoon and Citysearch. Earlier Kara co-headed IAC's M&A group where she led some of their most successful acquisitions, notably Urbanspoon, Dictionary.com and Aston Hotels. She also served as a board member to Hatch Labs, IAC’s mobile technology incubator, where she was the seed investor in Tinder. In earlier years, Kara spent time at Morgan Stanley, Microsoft, and Battery Ventures. She received her AB in Politics from Princeton University and her MBA from Stanford University.If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate our show. To learn more about BreakLine Education, check us out at breakline.org.

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we explore the intersection of race, mental health, and the tech industry with Headspace's Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Cornell Verdeja-Woodson.These are truly unprecedented times. Collectively, we are navigating a global pandemic, adjusting to new workplace norms, and possibly engaging with issues of race, gender and equity in ways that stretch us outside of our comfort zones. The stress, anxiety, or uncertainty many of us feel from time to time is a reminder of the importance of protecting our mental health and incorporating self-care habits into our routines.In this conversation we unpack it all, and will hopefully equip you with some additional tools to more seamlessly navigate your journey.If you like what you've heard, please like, subscribe, or rate our show. To learn more about BreakLine Education, check us out at breakline.org.

Please join us in The BreakLine Arena for a conversation with Ali Ghodsi, CEO and Co-founder of Databricks.As Chief Executive Officer, Ali responsible for the growth and international expansion of the company. He previously served as the VP of Engineering and Product Management before taking the role of CEO in January 2016. In addition to his work at Databricks, Ali serves as an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley and is on the board at UC Berkeley’s RiseLab.Ali was one of the original creators of open source project, Apache Spark, and ideas from his academic research in the areas of resource management and scheduling and data caching have been applied to Apache Mesos and Apache Hadoop. Ali received his MBA from Mid-Sweden University in 2003 and PhD from KTH/Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden in 2006 in the area of Distributed Computing.If you like what you've heard, please like, subscribe, or follow our show. To learn more about BreakLine Education, check us out at breakline.org.